The European Football Association (UEFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Confederation of Football of North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) criticized the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino for his plan to attract private investments in football competitions, including the World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, once again found himself under a barrage of criticism after presenting and then withdrawing within a few days a plan to attract private investment in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. However, on Saturday, FIFA responded to the criticism, stating that there were “coordinated and constant efforts by certain individuals aimed at undermining” the football governing body and Infantino himself.
However, a letter published on Monday by the governing bodies of European, North American and Asian football (UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC) indicates that his critics have not backed down. In it, the confederations stated that football “does not belong to any single individual”.
Statements of the confederations
“Leadership in football is not ownership. It does not consist in possessing power or seeking to retain it”, they wrote. The confederations added: “When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places themselves above the collective that has granted them authority, that duty has been abandoned”.
The three confederations called for a fully independent review of the share sale proposal.
The statement concluded with the words: “The strength of football has always been in its unity. We call for this unity to be respected now and advocate for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it”.
Source: Al Jazeera
